Flashbulb memories

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard about 9/11? Or how about when you heard that Michael Jackson had died? The chances are, you can describe your exact location, how you found out the news, and precisely what you were up to. This is a common phenomenon for … Read more

The Psychology of Christmas Shopping

psychology of christmas shopping

At this time of year it can be hard to avoid all the adverts and promotions telling us to buy more. With Black Friday, Christmas shopping and soon the January sales, it’s as though there’s more out there than ever trying to persuade us to part with our money. Adverts are also getting more sophisticated, … Read more

Seeing faces

This week’s post is inspired by some conversations I had over Halloween which got me thinking. Why are faces everywhere at this time of year (think carved pumpkins and ghost masks), and what makes them scary? Last year I wrote about the science behind horror movies and why we find things creepy. But what is it … Read more

Shyness

How would you describe shyness? Stereotypically, shy people are portrayed as being quiet, often loners who don’t want to stand out from the crowd, but is this really true? I was inspired to write this post whilst reading Quiet by Susan Cain, as it really got me thinking. What is shyness, and why do we … Read more

Number Form Synaesthesia

Today’s post is about something I find really interesting, partly because it’s something which affects me – number form synaesthesia. I’ve mentioned this before in my post on types of synaesthesia (to read more click here) but it’s something I’ve wanted to find out more about. To recap, and for those of you who haven’t … Read more

Introversion vs Extraversion

Introversion and extroversion are probably two of the most widely known personality traits. Stereotypically, an introvert is characterised by someone who is quiet and shy, and prefers to spend time alone. In contrast, an extrovert is usually loud and boisterous, and always needs to be surrounded by people. The words extrovert and introvert were first … Read more

Deep vs Surface learning

As we’re now approaching exam season, this week’s post is looking at the best way to learn new information. Hopefully this will be helpful to those of you revising at the moment! Consider these two scenarios, and have a think about which one describes your learning approach. 1. You need to learn about the theory … Read more